


How long did it take him to fall in love?

by rhaenyx



Category: Football RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: M/M, also it's the first time i write for them idk if it came out good, i'm not sure if this is okay pls be nice to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 02:37:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15809604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhaenyx/pseuds/rhaenyx
Summary: Eric recalls about his time with Dele, and tries to remember the exact point when he knew he was in love. Or, a fluffy college AU.





	How long did it take him to fall in love?

_The moment I saw you, I knew you’d be mine._

 

Eric rolled his eyes. He couldn’t understand how people liked these movies. They were so unrealistic. How could anybody fall in love at first sight? It was impossible. Love was something else. It couldn’t happen in less than a second. That wasn’t love, right? How long did it take _him_ to fall in love? Eric still remembered the moment _he_ walked into his Modern History class. He was so used to seeing the same faces over and over again, that a new one simply stood out from the crowd. He wouldn’t have expected someone like Dele to join that class. He was tall and seemed well-built; he would have expected someone like him to have got into college through a sports scholarship. He didn’t pay much attention to him, though. Of that he was sure. It wasn’t until the curly haired guy directly talked to him that he paid him any attention. He remembered the first time they talked.

_“Hello. Yes you! The guy with the Spurs jersey. Mind if I sit here? All the other spots are taken.” Eric looked up to see a pair of brown eyes looking at him expectantly. He shot Eric a tentative smile. Eric shrugged and simply pushed the chair towards the new guy, who quickly took his seat next to him. He looked at him with the same shy smile that had yet to leave his face. “Thanks mate. I already thought I’d had to sit on the floor. My name is Dele Alli.”_

_The teacher entered the room, and everyone started to quiet down. Eric nodded, but then remembered that it was customary to say his name back. He added in a low voice “Eric Dier.”_

_Dele frowned. “Diet? That’s a funny last name. Nice to meet you, Eric.”_

_“_ _No, no.” He raised his voice a little, giving the teacher a side-look. “It’s Dier. D-I-E-R.” He spelled it for Dele._

When he thought about this moment, Eric couldn’t remember falling in love instantaneously. He liked him a little bit, if anything. Maybe his heart leapt every time he talked to him —because Dele turned out to be a talkative guy—: _“Eric, can I borrow your pen?” “It’s pretty cold, innit? Mind if I close the window?” “That’s a nice jersey you got there, but I’m more of a Liverpool fan.”_ Or maybe, only maybe, he ridiculously gasped when Dele rolled up his red hoodie and he saw a rainbow-coloured bracelet tied around his wrist.

 

Was he in love then? No. Not yet. Maybe it was when they hung out after class to study together. 

_Eric didn’t plan on it. He sat alone in a corner of the cafeteria. He didn’t like to study in the library. It was too quiet, to the point where it distracted him. The canteen, on the other hand, was a nice buzzing place full of chattering young girls and boys. Among all that noise, Eric could feel himself get lost in his small world. That was, however, until the loud screeching sound of a chair being dragged pulled him out of his World War I reading. Dele’s wide grin leaves a warm feeling in him, and he fears his pale skin might give away his blushing. If Dele notices, he doesn’t acknowledge it._  

_"Hello Diet. What are you doing here? I thought I’d see you in the library.”_

_Apparently, the nickname had stuck. It wasn’t that bad. Maybe it was because it made him feel special. Dele had a nickname for him. “I can’t concentrate in the library. Too much silence.”_

_Dele’s brow furrowed. “That’s the first time I hear that.” He shrugged. “Anyway, do you know what the teacher said about trench warfare?” Eric nodded. “Well, I don’t get it. Mind explaining it to me?”_ _Maybe it was his puppy eyes. How he was biting his lower lip expecting him to accept, which was making him kind of squirm on his seat._

_"I’m not the best at modern history.” He managed to answer._

_“_ _It doesn’t matter. We’ll help each other.” It did matter, because why would he still want his help if he wasn’t that good at the subject? Eric didn’t want to dwell on this thought, but at the end of the day his mind kept going to places where he rationally wouldn’t want it to go: maybe, only maybe, Dele wanted to spend time with him._

He already liked him back then. A lot. Who wouldn’t, really. Dele wasn’t as shy as Eric had thought after their first encounter. He was kind of silly, a very funny guy. Eric thought his jokes were kind of lame, but he still laughed at each and every one of them. He was also pretty attentive, always asking Eric about his family, his friends, and his interests. That’s how he found out that Dele, just like him, really liked superhero movies. It was that how one rainy October day, while they walked together to the nearer tube station entrance, tightly cramped under Eric’s blue umbrella, Dele ended up in Eric’s home. 

 

_"I think my favourite’s Captain America.”_

_“_ _Which one?”_

_“Uhm...” Dele took a moment to think about it. “I think ‘The First Avenger’. Yeah, I really liked that one.”_

_Eric nodded. He thought about it for a bit, his sight getting lost in his surroundings. Everyone around them was walking quickly, splashing water with their rushed steps. Nobody cared much about them, who might have been too close under that umbrella, even when it was big enough to cover both of them comfortably. Neither of them seemed to mind. “Have you read the comics? They’re cool too.”_

_Dele shook his head. “Nah, I’m not that much of a reader.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“_ _What?”_

_“I was thinking, I have a bunch at home, my brother loves them and they helped me with my English when I came back from Portugal. You could borrow some, but if you–_

_“Well, I could give it a try.” Dele interrupted him before Eric could finish talking. Eric looked at his face, he feared Dele might have said that only to please him, but he seemed truly interested in Eric’s comics._

_“Okay.” Eric nodded. “My house’s this way.”_

_“Your house?!” Dele’s voice raised two octaves. His eyes were wide open, but it didn’t take long for a smile to make its way into his face. “Great! That’s cool, mate. Let’s go!”_

Eric remembered that day vividly. He showed Dele the bunch of comic books he had brought back from Portugal, and he seemed honestly interested in them. They spent the rest of the day playing FIFA —Eric was slowly but steadily turning Dele into a Spurs fan— and that truly became one of Eric’s best days since he returned to England. Little did he know that from there on, all his days would just get better and better.

 

Weeks passed, they kept getting closer and November arrived. That’s how they ended up watching ‘Deadpool’ together in an almost empty cinema. It was a surprisingly cold day in London. Eric woke up to a message from Dele.

_**mate it’s snowing!!! class is cancelled!!!** _

_Dele’s messages always bring a smile to Eric’s face. He never uses capital letters, and always overuses exclamation points. Eric thinks it matches Dele’s personality like a glove. In his sleepy state, he types back._

**_Great!_ **

**_I’m going back to sleep then._ **

_Of course, he didn’t go back to sleep. Half an hour later, some frenzy knocking got him out of bed. He was welcomed by an excited Dele, wearing a ridiculous Christmas sweater. It was a very ugly sweater, but it didn’t fail to bring a sweet smile to Eric’s face._

_“It’s too early, Delboy. What are you doing here?”_

_“Hello, Diet!” He walked passed him and walked straight to Eric’s living room, where he sat down and released a big sigh. Eric raised his eyebrows, but said nothing and went to sit next to Dele._

_“So?”_

_D_ _ele had the decency to appear somewhat embarrassed after busting into Eric’s house at 8:30 in the morning._ _“I just thought, you know, if we are going to stay all day inside the house, at least we can do it together. So we won’t get bored.”_

_It was a comical situation, two boys sitting together, one on his pyjamas, the other in a reindeer sweater, blushing and looking everywhere but at each other._

_“That’s...” Eric couldn’t think of an appropriate word to describe the warm feeling inside that Dele’s words have left. “That’s very nice. A great idea.”_

_“That’s what I thought! So, what do we do?”_

_Turns out, what they did was so domestic that such amount of sugar made Eric almost sick to his stomach. Eric showered. They had breakfast together. Afterwards, they went to a park near Eric’s house to take some pictures in such a beautiful snowy day. Both Eric and Dele noticed that many couples were doing exactly the same, but neither of them mentioned it, simply shooting each other a shy smile._

Eric looked at the framed pictures hanging on the sky-blue walls of his living room, and smiled fondly at one that was taken in that exact moment.

_Eric made sure to stand at enough distance from the white covered trees, so they would grace the background of his selfie. He wanted to send some picture to his mum, who had already left for their Portugal home. After finding the right angle, he snapped the photo, but not before feeling a pair of soft lips against his right cheek. Eric turned around, finding a giggly Dele next to him. Eric looked down at the picture. Dele leaning from behind; holding onto Eric’s shoulders, eyes closed leaving a kiss on Eric’s face. Eric’s eyes were almost closed as well, but grinning widely. He hadn’t realised he was smiling._

_They went back home, Eric cooked a warm soup for both of them and had lunch in comfortable silence. Eric kept checking on Dele. His cooking skills weren’t that good, just enough to keep a college student alive, but by the low humming sounds he was making it looked like Dele liked it._

Eric smiled fondly at the memories. It felt nice to hang out with Dele out of class. He doesn’t think he noticed back then, but they were doing couple stuff without being a couple, and this only continued during the day. Soon after finishing lunch and watching telly for a bit, they left for the cinema.

_“So, the movie we are watching is–_

_“Thor: Ragnarok! Mate, I’m so excited.”_

_They spent the entire ride there mostly listening to music. Eric had got used to sharing his headphones with Dele, who wasn’t that picky about his music. He would listen to whatever Eric listened to and he didn’t seem to mind._

_The movie was great. Eric found out that Dele was one of those guys who couldn’t stop talking about everything going on about the film._

_“Oh my god! Is he dead?!”_

_“You just saw it…”_

_But he still enjoyed the evening. From time to time, his sight would wander to Dele, and watching his reactions was thoroughly amusing: eyes wide, mouth half open. He could hear him gasp every time something happened._

_Eric drove Dele back to the latter’s home. Eric went to sleep that night content, as if there was nothing else to do. Once again, a day with Dele had become one of the best days of his life. Before falling asleep, one thought crossed his mind that made him sleep with a smile on his face: That was their first date._

Thinking about it now, Eric thought it was a very nice first date, specially taking into account that it was unplanned. After that, their lives went on normally, using any excuse to spend time together. Soon they were joined by their friends. Dele’s friend, Harry, would go with them to most Tottenham games. Eric liked him from the moment he saw his Spurs jersey. Christian, an Erasmus student Eric had met the year before, would join them from time to time. They settled into a comfortable routine of being with each other that neither wanted to ever end.

 

_This routine blew up a few days after Eric arrived back from Portugal after Christmas break. The first day of the semester was over. Eric walked out of class that day firmly holding his phone, calling Dele for the seventh time that day. He had skipped class and he wasn’t replying to any of his texts. He had texted Harry, but he didn’t know where Dele was either, or at least that’s what he said. Eric was walking towards his car, when he spotted the man he was looking for leaning against his own car, parked a few slots from his. He was absentmindedly playing with the sleeves of his hoodie, and his gaze was fixated on his shoes._

_“Dele! I’ve been calling you all day. Why haven’t you been answering, you wanker?!” Eric was angry, but it kind of went away when he saw Dele’s nervous stance from up close. He could even see the layer of sweat that had formed on the boy’s forehead. “Dele? Are you alright?”_

_Dele took a deep breath. If he took any more time, he would back out. “Do you want to hang out or something?”_

_“What? We always hang out after class.”_

_“I mean, as in a date.” He rolled his eyes, although he still looked nervously at Eric._

_He would have laughed, really. Every time they hang out, Eric had to restrain himself from being too obviously in love with his friend. He didn’t know how many times he had been told by Christian to ‘try not to look at him like that, or he’ll find out’. Well, apparently Dele was blind, because he was still standing in front of him, nervously balancing himself on his feet._

_“Of course. I’ll go on a date with you.”_

_He released a long sigh making Eric laugh. Eric felt a giddy, he had got so accustomed to being Dele’s friend, that he couldn’t have imagined what being something more could feel like. It felt great. They agreed to take Dele’s car. Eric’s brother could pick up his car later._

_“So, where are you taking me, Delboy?” Watching Dele’s bright smile he knew, by their second date, he was already in love with him._

 

"What are you thinking about?”

His mind went back to reality, to the boy who was sitting between his legs and leaning against his chest. Shooting him a shy smile, just like the first time. Eric relaxed against the sofa, softly pulling Dele closer, trapping him in between his arms.

“Just about us.”

“Maybe be a little more specific?”

Eric rolled his eyes. “I was thinking about when it was when I knew I was in love.”

“Ohhhh.” Dele looked at him with a cheesy smile. “That’s easy. I think I realised during Christmas holiday. I missed you, a lot. I was watching TV and then it hit me.”

Eric nodded. It had been Dele who had seriously asked him on a date, just after Christmas break.

“What about you?” Dele asked. He had buried his face in Eric’s neck, leaving tender kisses to the exposed skin there. Eric groaned, but moved his head to give Dele more skin to work with.

“I think it was during a party we went with the lads.”

 

_“Stop looking at him like that, mate.”_

_Eric turned to Harry, a confused look on his face. They were both standing in the bar of the pub they were visiting that night, waiting for their drinks to arrive._

_“Like what?”_

_“Like you’re in love. When’s the wedding, mate?”_

_Eric’s shocked face must have been funny, because Harry couldn’t wipe his mocking grin out of his face. “Oh, c’mon! All of us have noticed. But just so you know —he leaned in, lowering his voice so nobody around them heard— Dele’s kind of daft, so you’ll have to tell him or he’ll think you’re just being nice to him.”_

 

“Ugh, I hate Harry.”

“No, you don’t.” Dele hummed, but didn’t deny it.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, Dele still lying against Eric’s chest. The movie was still playing.

“Are you watching the movie anymore?” Dele was looking at him with a smirk on his face.

“No. Are you?” Dele shook his head ‘no’.

“Do you wanna shower with me?” Eric sighed in feigned despair, but Dele had already leaped from his lap and had started to drag him to the bathroom. He really was in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!! I'd love to read your comments on this, and if you have any ideas for another oneshot it's always appreaciated.


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